1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to washing machines, and more particularly, to a washing machine having a detergent supply device which is easily and removably installed in an upper portion of a cabinet of the washing machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, washing machines are apparatuses which wash laundry by rotating a cylindrical rotary tub thereof, containing the laundry and wash water. Such washing machines have been typically classified into drum type washing machines and vertical shaft type washing machines. In drum type washing machines, a rotary tub is horizontally set in a cabinet. The rotary tub is rotated around a horizontal axis of the cabinet in alternating directions to repeatedly move laundry upward and allow the laundry to be dropped from a top to a bottom inside the rotary tub, due to gravity, thus washing the laundry. In the vertical shaft type washing machines, a rotary tube having a pulsator is vertically set in a cabinet and is rotated around a vertical axis of the cabinet in alternating directions. Accordingly, laundry inside the rotary tub is washed by forced water currents generated by the pulsator.
FIG. 1 shows a partial perspective view of a conventional vertical shaft type washing machine having a conventional detergent supply device 10 installed to the washing machine. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional vertical shaft type washing machine includes a cabinet 1 which defines an appearance of the washing machine. A cylindrical washing tub 2 is vertically set in the cabinet 1, and a spin-drying tub 3 is rotatably and concentrically set in the washing tub 2. A pulsator (not shown) is interiorly installed on a bottom of the spin-drying tub 3, and is rotated in alternating directions to generate wash water currents inside the spin-drying tub 3 to wash laundry. The cabinet 1 is open at its top to allow a user to place or remove the laundry from the spin-drying tub 3. A door (not shown) is hinged to the open top of the cabinet 1 to selectively open and close the cabinet 1.
The conventional detergent supply device 10 is installed at a rear position on an upper portion of the cabinet 1 to supply powdered detergent to the washing tub 2. The detergent supply device 10 includes a box-shaped detergent container 11 and a cover 12 which functions to open and close an open top of the detergent container 11. A detergent feeding unit 13 is provided on a lower end of the detergent container 11 to feed the powdered detergent from the detergent container 11 into the washing tub 2.
Two hooks 14 are provided on the lower portions of opposite sidewalls of the detergent container 11 to removably install the detergent supply device 10 to the upper portion of the cabinet 1. A push button 15 is installed at a position above either of the two hooks 14, and functions to push the corresponding hook 14 inward to release the detergent supply device 10 from the cabinet 1.
A reception chamber 4 is defined at a rear position on the upper portion of the cabinet 1 to receive the detergent supply device 10. Hook holes 5 are formed on inside surfaces of corresponding opposite sidewalls of the reception chamber 4 so as to engage with the hooks 14. Since the push button 15 and the two hooks 14 are provided on the lower portion of the detergent container 11, the reception chamber 4 has a depth suitable to receive only the detergent feeding unit 13, which downwardly extends from the lower end of the detergent container 11.
The conventional washing machine having the detergent supply device 10 is difficult to operate, and it takes a long time to lock or release the detergent supply device 10 to or from the reception chamber 4 of the cabinet 1. That is, where a user desires to release the detergent supply device 10 from the reception chamber 4, the user necessarily holds the detergent container 11 with one hand and presses the push button 15 with the other hand. In such a state, the user lifts up the detergent container 11 such that the hook 14 operated in conjunction with the push button 15 disengages from the corresponding hook hole 5 of the reception chamber 4. Next, the user lifts up the detergent container 11 again after pulling the detergent container 11 to a side, which is provided with the push button 15, thus disengaging the other hook 14 from the respective hook hole 5.
To lock the detergent supply device 10 back into the cabinet 1, the detergent container 11 is slightly inclined in a direction to engage the hook 14, provided on a sidewall which is not provided with the push button 15, with the respective hook hole 5 which is provided on the reception chamber 4. Next, the user presses the detergent container 11 down while pushing the push button 15 such that the hook 14 operated in conjunction with the push button 15 engages with the corresponding hook hole 5.
As such, where the conventional detergent supply device 10 is locked to or released from the cabinet 1, a user necessarily uses both of his/her hands, and a sufficient force must be applied to the detergent supply device 10 to engage or disengage the hooks 14 with or from the hook holes 5. Accordingly, it is very inconvenient and time consuming to lock or release the detergent supply device 10 to or from the cabinet 1.
In the case of installing a conventional detergent supply device 10 to a large-capacity washing machine, it is even more difficult to lock or release the detergent supply device 10 to or from a cabinet 1 thereof, making it impossible for a user of small stature, in some instances, to lock or release the detergent supply device 10 to or from the cabinet 1.
Additionally, in the conventional washing machine, the push button 15 and the two hooks 14, which are provided to lock or release the detergent supply device 10 to or from the cabinet 1, are installed on the lower portion of the detergent container 11. As such, the detergent container 11 of the detergent supply device 10 is inevitably and upwardly projected from the cabinet 1. Therefore, the appearance of the conventional washing machine is poor. The detergent container 11 containing the powdered detergent is also made of a crystalline resin which does not contain moisture. However, the detergent container 11 made of the crystalline resin is poor in color and surface treatment, and does not aesthetically match with the cabinet 1, which is made of a non-crystalline resin to provide a good appearance to the washing machine, thus further spoiling the appearance of the washing machine.
Furthermore, since the detergent container 11 of the detergent supply device 10 is upwardly projected from the cabinet 1 and exposed to the outside of the cabinet 1, water may splash into the detergent supply device 10. In this case, the water flows into the detergent container 11 through the detergent feeding unit 13, which downwardly extends from the lower end of the detergent container 11, and undesirably solidifies the powdered detergent. In such a case, the detergent does not smoothly feed into the washing tub 2, thereby lowering the reliability of the washing machine.
The conventional detergent supply device 10 is also designed to manually feed the powdered detergent into the washing tub 2 using gravity. Therefore, a detergent outlet port of the detergent supply device 10 may clog where the powdered detergent is solidified, making it more difficult to feed the powdered detergent into the washing tub 2.